How do telephones work?

Although most of us take it completely for granted, the telephone you have in your house is one of the most amazing devices ever created. If you want to talk to someone, all you have to do is pick up the phone and dial a few digits. You are instantly connected to that person, and you can have a two-way conversation. read more

Let's take a closer look! Photo: Push-button phones slowly began to replace rotary dial phones from the 1960s, following the development of tone dialing (DTMF, described in more detail below). read more

The Transmitter of a telephone serves as a sensitive "electric ear." It lies behind the mouthpiece of the phone. Like the human ear, the transmitter has an 14 eardrum." The eardrum of the telephone is a thin, round metal disk called a diaphragm. read more